9 March 2022.
Introduction:
A partnership has been established by Australia and Indonesia with the aim of tackling plastic pollution in the Indo-Pacific region.
Overview:
- The Australian government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Australia’s national science agency has launched the Plastics Innovation Hub Indonesia project.
- On 1 March, this partnership worth USD 940,790 was launched.
- According to the estimates of CSIRO, there are five billion to ten billion individual pieces of plastic in the Indo-Pacific region’s coastlines.
- This project is a part of CSIRO’s Ending Plastic Waste Mission under which it aims to reduce plastic waste that is entering the environment by 80 percent by 2030.
- The United Nations (UN) member countries, earlier this month at the fifth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5), reviewed proposals for a global agreement to tackle plastic pollution.
Aim of the partnership
This partnership will bring together investors, researchers, and major stakeholders, including public and private sector businesses, to develop various solutions to tackle plastic waste in Indonesia’s waterways and oceans. The Hub expands on CSIRO’s existing partnership with the Udayana University and Indonesian government to analyze, measure, and chart plastic pollution in Java, Bali, and other regions.
How will plastic pollution be tracked?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other advanced technologies will be used by the hub to track and identify pollution in waterways. Enzymes will also be used to degrade microplastics and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic.
About CSIRO
- CSIRO is an Australian government organization in charge of scientific research. CSIRO collaborates with premier organizations all across the world. CSIRO operates more than 50 sites across Australia, as well as in Chile, France, and the United States, from its headquarters in Canberra.